Featured

Three feelings sum up the Arts Sector’s response to COVID–19. Firstly, a feeling of doom and nothing seeming to work. Secondly, a sense of paralysis, coupled with a curiosity about what might work. Thirdly, there’s an optimism about the future, and a fierce determination to survive and thrive in this trying time.
I don’t think these feelings are confined to the Arts Sector, of course, and these feelings alternate with each other even over a single day. Arts organisations are faring better than individual artists. Jobs have some protection, but freelance work sadly does not. Individual artists that have very low incomes, in any case, have lost al

The Liberties is one of Dublin’s oldest neighbourhoods and for Amy Sergison, it’s part of her family history. She revisited the area to explore its evolution.
The Liberties is one of Dublin’s oldest neighbourhoods having been around in one way or another since the 12th century. In my memory, this is where my nana lived and my Dad grew up.
I have very fond memories of visiting my nana on Basin Street. We would know we were close in the car, even if our eyes were closed because we could smell the hops from Guinness. I remember Greta’s shop (sadly gone today), where the floor sparkled like diamonds and jars filled with sugar barley stood tall on top of

Katie Kavanagh, a Dublin 8 based photographer, had an idea. As we’re generally stuck indoors due to COVID-19 restrictions, she’d take portrait shots of her neighbours at their doors. The idea grew legs and she’s linked up with Purple House Cancer Support Centre for the project, ‘Doors Closed, Hearts Open‘. Their aim is to create a gallery of 200,000 Doortraits to support the 200,000 people living with Cancer in Ireland

Featured

Elisa Capitanio is a UX Designer at social media intelligence agency Storyful, and also runs her own independent abstract art business.
She came to Ireland nine years ago completely by chance. Living in Italy, she longed for a change of pace, so she left her home of Bergamo and moved to London. Dublin came calling with an opportunity for Elisa to try her hand at being a web designer, so she packed her bags for a second time and moved country again. Since then, Ireland has become her permanent home and has inspired her art.
She chose Dublin for its fast market and inspiring tech community.
Of working in Dublin’s tech industry, Elisa said:

Traffic: we all hate it. But we’re stuck with – and in – it. Or are we?
A new initiative from Dublin City Council (DCC) and delivery firm UPS is aiming to reduce the number of vehicles on the city’s roads. It uses what UPS call an “Eco Hub” container on Wolfe Tone Street. The Eco Hub acts as a small distribution hub from which deliveries can be made by bike or on foot.
“It came about when we were approached by UPS, who had piloted the same project in London, Paris and Hamburg,” explains Colm Ennis, Senior Executive Engineer with DCC. “We are developing a strategy for city centre goods deliveries and are trying to reduce

In recent years, Dublin has lost some of its most important creative spaces to a building boom that’s reminiscent of the Celtic Tiger era.
Block T in Smithfield and South Studios near Cork Street were both closed down in 2016 with a significant loss of square footage for artists, photographers, designers and writers. In their place, however, a new generation of co-working spaces – aimed specifically at servicing Dublin’s creative communities – is coming into being.
Although they have become abundant in many European capitals in the last few years, co-working spaces are a relatively new arrival in the Dublin property market. In the past 12 months the number

Featured

Following a recent major agreement between the Government and the Hague based Permanent Court of Arbitration there is a significant opportunity for Dublin to become a centre for dispute resolution.
Dublin has a huge amount to offer as an international arbitration venue, including a highly respected legal system. Following the UK’s departure from the EU, Ireland will also be the only fully common-law, English speaking country in the EU. Currently cities including Paris, Zurich and Stockholm have been seen as seats for arbitration, however newer places, including Dublin could now attract high profile cases. This has the potential to be a major boost to the econ

The COVID-19 crisis has resulted in many businesses facing an uncertain future, rethinking how they will make money. Many entrepreneurs have found a silver lining from their new circumstances in being given an unexpected opportunity to work on sustainable and ethical ideas as they reinvent their business.
Making your start-up or existing business sustainable or ethical is also a smart, future-proof option. Customers are now much more informed and aware of the environmental impact of their purchases. A more sustainable product or service will create a positive brand image and reputation that will impact the bottom line of many businesses.

As the impact of the COVID–19 outbreak intensifies, businesses across Dublin are finding ways to diversify to survive the crisis and retain their staff. The virus is hitting our economy hard, and it’s creating a situation that’s well beyond the experience of most business owners. However, in these difficult times, many businesses have managed, with the support of their Local Enterprise Office, to adapt and shift to new products and services quickly.
UNIFORMAL
Uniformal, an established uniform and corporate wear provider based in South Dublin, have been supplying Irish businesses with bespoke and premium ready-to-wear uniform solutions and workwear fo

Featured

With a huge urban campus, state-of-the-art facilities, and the largest student body of any university in Ireland, University College Dublin welcomes hundreds of new international students every year.
UCD prides itself on being Ireland’s global university and has international campuses and strong links to academic institutions in locations as far-flung as Beijing and Malaysia. They have a portfolio of over 500 institutional partnerships in over 90 countries, allowing students and staff to engage in exchange programmes for research, studies, internships, field trips and volunteering opportunities. Around 1,000 students avail of these opportunities every year, a

We sat down with Professor Philip Nolan, president of Maynooth University, to discuss his plans for the university, which lies on the periphery of Dublin. His role focuses on creating a strategy and implementing this to grow and develop the university.
Maynooth University is home to over 1,000 staff and 13,000 students, and more than 1,200 of these are international students hailing from over 60 countries. The university offers a wide range of excellent academic programmes which are delivered by leading researchers in various fields, and students are challenged and encouraged to reach their full potential in this top-class learning environment.
C

Romina Dashghachian is 22. She’s from Germany (her parents are from Iran), and she’s studying for a Master’s in Public Relations at Dublin City University (DCU). Romina’s hometown is Munich, and she reckons that city and Dublin have a lot in common. “Munich has a community feel, so you never feel like you’re in a giant anonymous city. And that’s why I like Dublin as well. When you’re here, you don’t feel like you’re just disappearing in the crowds.”
But how did she come to choose Dublin in the first place? “I was in Dublin two years ago with a friend of mine just for a holiday trip, and we fell

Unemployment benefits

You’ve moved all the way to Ireland to work. You’ve set yourself up, put the kids into school, and made a host of financial commitments – electricity bills, phone contracts and rental agreements.

Then you lose your job. What do you do?

It’s not the end of the road. Even if you are not an Irish citizen, you have rights and entitlements that can help you stay on your feet while you fix your situation.

Staying in Ireland

EEA & Swiss Nationals

First of all, you can stay. If you are an EEA or Swiss national, you can stay in Ireland, unemployed and looking for work.

Non-EEA nationals

If you a non-EEA national, you can stay too – so long as you have an employment permit. Make sure that you notify the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation within 28 days of your dismissal. If you have been working on an employment permit for more than five consecutive years, you no longer need a permit to work in Ireland.

Redundancy

Irish employers must follow a specific procedure to make their workers redundant. It’s a good idea to check that your situation is a genuine redundancy case. If it isn’t, you might be able to bring a claim for unfair dismissal. If it is, and you have been working for your employer for two or more years, you may be entitled to a redundancy payment.

Social welfare payments

There are two main social welfare payments for jobseekers in Ireland – Jobseeker’s Benefit and Jobseeker’s Allowance.

Jobseeker’s Benefit

Jobseeker’s Benefit is for people who have lost their job or been made redundant. To be eligible you must be unemployed, looking for work, and have paid a certain number of social insurance contributions (PRSI). If you are an EEA migrant, you may be able to combine Jobseeker’s Benefit with a social welfare payment from your home country. Non-EEA migrants are eligible for Jobseeker’s Benefit if they are legally resident in Ireland.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

If you haven’t made enough social insurance contributions, or you are otherwise ineligible for Jobseeker’s Benefit, you may still be eligible for Jobseeker’s Allowance. This is a means-tested payment, meaning the amount you are paid will depend on your wealth. To receive Jobseeker’s Allowance payments, you must be unemployed, looking for work, pass a means test and be habitually resident in Ireland.

Supplementary Welfare Allowance and Rent Supplement

If you are not receiving Jobseeker’s Benefit, you are habitually resident in Ireland, and you are actively looking for work, you may be eligible for the Supplementary Welfare Allowance. If you have been working in Ireland for less than 12 months, you can receive it for six months from the date your employment ended. If you have been employed for more than 12 months, you can claim this payment indefinitely – so long as you are looking for work.

The Rent Supplement can help you meet payments to a private landlord.

Tax

Migrant Support in Ireland

No matter what happens, you are never alone. There are a host of organisations that can help you through difficult times in Dublin. Check the Citizens Information site for organisations that can support you.

You might also like...

You will need a Personal Public Service number (PPS number) to work in Ireland. It’s a unique reference number that helps you to access social welfare and public services. Irish Tax and Customs use this number to register you for income tax.
Your PPS number will help you to access:
All social welfare services
Free Travel Pass for people over 66 years of age
Public health services, including the medical card and the Drugs Payment Scheme
Child immunisation
Schemes run by the

You’ve moved to Dublin, settled into your new home and found a job. How can you be sure that you’re being treated fairly? Ireland’s employment law is transparent and applicable to all workplaces. Here are a few resources that will help you check that your boss is on the level.
The Workplace Relations Commission
The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is your one-stop-shop for your rights at work. It publishes a comprehensive Guide to Employme

Your qualifications from home may not be immediately recognised by Irish employers and educational institutions. Looking for work is difficult enough without being thwarted by incompatible qualifications, so it’s important that employers can understand your hard-won credentials.
Thankfully, there’s a process in place to help you compare your qualifications with the Irish equivalent. NARIC Ireland holds a database of over one thousand qualifications issued by institutions from around the world. Simply search the database, find your qualification and see how it compares to I